The West Midlands-based firms decided to combine operations after four years of referring customers to each other in instances where one didn’t have the permissions to deal with certain client enquiries.
Kirsten Palmer-Jeffery, marketing and partnerships manager at Financial Advice Centre, said: “The heads of both companies noticed a synergy in the way that they dealt with clients.
“They knew the clients would be handled well and shared an ethos in terms of approach.”
Financial Advice Centre is headed up by managing director Piers Mepsted, who joined in 2011. Sterling Rock was founded by local mortgage adviser George Roberts.
Roberts and his team of three advisers joined Financial Advice Centre in their offices on 1 October. Mepsted will remain managing director and Roberts and his team are directors.
The Financial Advice Centre, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, applied for permission in order to able to offer mortgage advice. The merger took 18 months to be complete.
Mepsted (pictured right) said: “Being able to offer mortgage advice from an independent firm not tied to any particular provider means our clients can now receive an efficient, cost effective, full service, independent offering under one roof.
“We will operate as one team, sharing expertise and collaborating for our clients benefit.”
“Our clients have always been impressed by George and his team’s outstanding service and commitment. Their sensitive and intelligent handling of what can be a stressful and difficult process is very professional and why we feel they are a natural fit with our team at Financial Advice Centre,” he added.
Roberts (pictured left) said: “We have worked with Financial Advice Centre for a number of years, so we knew each other professionally.
“Both our businesses work in a similar way too – focusing on building long term relationships with clients – so it feels like a natural and straightforward progression to work even closer and is only beneficial for all our clients.”
